Feeler mechanism for looms



May 20, 1924. 1,494,947

c. D.'BROWN FEELER MECHANISM Poi LOOMS Original Fil ay 22. 192

7AM" /l/E /\/7 O/?-' ml WW ATTORNEY Patented May 20, 1924.

UNITED STATES mean? PATENT. GEE-ICE.

CARL D. BROWN, 0}? HornnALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 DRAPER-CORPOBA- TION, or I-IOIPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION: OF MAINE.

. FEELER MEcH AmsM Eon Looms.

Original application filed May 22, 1922, Serial. a, 562,581. Divided and this application fil ed Aug st 30,

.1923. Serial No. 660,130. g I v To all whom it may concem Be it known that I, CARL D. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hopedale, in the county of VVorces ter and State of Massachusetts, havein vented an Improvement in Feeler- Mechanisms for Looms, of which the following description, in connection with the accoinpanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like arts.

p This invention relates to feeler. mechanisms for filling replenishing looms whereby the filling is replenished from time to time.

Feeler mechanisms of the so called side swipe type initiate replenishment of filling when the feeler is moved longitudinally along the filling carrier, and to restrain the feeler from such movement it is now the usual practice to provide a feeler'tip which has teeth or projections to sink into the filling when a working supply is present. To insure the pro-per holding effect of the teeth or projections of the feeler by the filling on a detecting beat, the feeler has ordinarily been provided with a yielding device such as aspring for holding the feeler in its rearward feeling position, and where the feeler enters the shuttle at right angles to the lay movement it is now the usual practice to provide a second spring for effecting movement of the feeler longit-udinally of the shuttle when the filling is substantially exhausted.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a feeler mechanism in whichthe feeler is under the control of a single spring which not only serves tocause the teeth or projections of the feeler tip to sink into the filling on a detecting beat when a working supply is present, but also acts to move the feeler in a direction longi tudinally of the shuttle when the filling is substantially exhausted.

In accordance with the present invention, the spring which acts upon the feeler to perform the stated functions has a bend between its ends, so that as the feeler is moved frontwardly on a detecting beat by the front-ward pressure of a surface within the shuttle, the lateral bend in the spring is increased, thereby imparting a tendency to the feeler to move longitudinally of the The various novel features of the 'inven tion and new combination of parts will best be understood from the following descrip-. tion and the accompanying drawings of. one good practical form thereof; In the drawings: J i 5 Fig. 1 is a plan view of the feeler mecha nism containing the presentinvention, with the top plate of the feeler stand removed,

and showing parts of the shuttle-box and shuttle in section; I Fig. 2 is a plan View .with the top plate of the feeler stand in place and showing the relation of parts when the filling. is

substantially"exhausted on a detecting beat and the feeler is moved in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle; and

Fig. 3' ma vertical section through the.

feeler stand and feeler;

It has'not been deemed necessary to illus trate the replenishing mechanism, nor many of the loom parts, because, the details. of such mechanism and parts form no. feature of the present invention, which more directly concerns the means for! controlling the feeler.

The shuttle-box and shuttle may be of usual construction, the latter being provided with bobbin holding jaws, as usual, for.

holding the filling carrier or bobbin. I Y

As shown, the shuttle-box 1 is provided with an opening 2 in'its front w'allfand "95 the shuttle 3 is similarly provided wit-lien opening 4: which registers with the opening in the front 'wall of the shuttlebo rfof the entrance of the feeler'into the shuttle on a detecting beat to feel for the filling.

The shuttle is shown as provided with the usual bobbin holding jaws 5*which support the filling carrier 6, and while the invention to'he described is-Well adapted'for this character of shuttle construction wherein the filling carrier itself is ejected and a new supply furnished the shuttle when that in the running shuttle, is substantially exhausted, it will of coursebe understood that plate by additional it may be advantageously applied also to the other well-known type of filling replenishing loom wherein the shuttle itself is changed. 7

The feeler stand 7 is supported at the front of the loom, preferably on the usual bracket extending from the shipper stand, and since these features of the construction are now well known, the details thereof are not herein shown and described. The feeler stand shown consists of the bottom plate 8 and the top plate 9 which may be appro priately secured together which pass through an opening 11 in the side extending flanges of the top and bottom plates and such screws 10 may if desired be employed for securing the feeler stand as a whole to the loom frame.

Between the bottom and top plates 9 and 8 of the feeler stand a guide recess 12 is provided which, as hereinafter described, furnishes ample space for the lateral bending or bucklingof the spring which acts upon the feeler. If desired, also, the top plate may be further secured to the bottom screws 13 passing through or into the. overlying flange portions of the top and bottom plates.

The rearward portion of the feeler stand is provided with a laterally extending guide- 7 way .14 inwhichQis mounted the slide 15 having an opening. 16 through which the feeler 17 extends, and the slide 15 has con nected thereto a transmitter 18, the construction being such. that should the slide 15 be moved laterally to the right, as shown in the present instance, the. transmitter 18 will position parts of the filling replenishing mechanism for effecting replenishment of filling.

The slide 15 is confined in its guideway 14 between the top and bottom plates of the feeler stand, substantially as indicated in Fig. 3, and rearward of the slide 15 the feeler standis provided with an enlarged opening 19 to permit the feeler 17 to move in a directionlongitudinally of the shuttle, as indicated in Fig. 2.

The feeler 17 is provided with a filling engaging. tip 20 which in the present in stance of the invention is shown as of the character described in the Carl D. Brown application, Serial No. 562,581, filed May 22, 1922, of which the present application is a division. So far, however, as the essentials of the present invention are concerned, the feeler tip may be of any usual character which by engagement witha working supply of filling on a'detecting beat will restrain the feeler from movement longitudinally of the shuttle until the filling is substantially exhausted, and inorder to lighten the feeler and impart-delicacy of action, it may beprovided with a slot 21.

The feeler 17 is under the control of a by screws 10' single spring, as shown, which normally acts to hold the feeler in its rearward feeling position and, on a detecting beat, imparts I .to the feeler a tendency to move longitudinally of the shuttle. In carrying this feature of the invention into effect the spring 22 has one end 23 secured to the feeler and its other end is secured to a point fronts ward of the feeler. and preferably in .a swivel block 24: mounted for rocking movement between the top and bottom plates of the feeler stand, as indicated in Fig. '3.

The spring '22 shown is of the coiled type, but any other form of springmay be advantageously employed which will act to hold the feeler in its rearward feeling position and be susceptible of bending or buckling when the feeler is moved frontwardly by the surface within theshfuttle on adetecting beat.

Between the. two ends of the spring, the

latter is bent, to form an initial bend or buckling point in the spring and, as shown, this is accomplished in the present instance by a deflector 25 which may be conveniently formed as a lateral projection secured to or as part of the feeler stand,- the construction being such that when the feeler is inits' rear ward feeling position, as indicated by the 7 dotted lines, Fig. 1, the spring 22 will have formed therein substantially at the point 26 an initial bend, so that. should the feeler meet a working supply of filling in the shuttle on adetecting beat, as indicated by full lines, Fig. 1, the spring 22 will buckle or bend laterally in the guiding space 12 between the upper and lower plates of the feeler stand, thereby imparting to thefeeler a tendency to move longitudinally of the shuttle about the point 27 of the feeler stand as a fulcrum.

As hereinbefore stated, one end of the spring is secured at 23 to the feeler and its other end is secured to the swivel block 24. The result is that whenthe feeler is moved into its rearward feeling position by a straightening tendency of the spijng 22,

its rearward movement will be limited by the permissive straightening effect of the spring 22 as it assumes the dotted line position in Fig. 1. If desired, however, a stop 28 may be provided on the feeler to engage the slide 15 or some other portion ofthe mechanism to limit the rearward movement of the feeler Ill) or buckle, as indicated by full lines, Fig. 1',

the deflector may be variously contrived to bear upon the spring between its, ends, and.

the deflecting actionof the spring maybe changed from one side to the other,in order that the feeler may act either in the direction towards the tip ofthe bobbin or'towards the base or'headf Likewise the end of the spring 22 may be secured to the feeler in any appropriate manner, but as shown in the present instance, the feeler is provided with a socket into which the end of the spring 22 is inserted and held, and likewise the other end of the spring may be secured to the swivel block 24 by a recess formed in the block into which the end of the spring is inserted.

From the constructiondescribed it will be apparent that the spring 22 normally acts upon the feeler to hold it in its rearward feeling position, and is provided with a bend between the ends of the spring whereby when the feeler is moved frontwardly on a detecting beat, the spring being free between its ends will further buckle or bend and impart to the feeler a. tendency to move in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle and effect such movement as indicated in Fig. 2 when the filling is substantially exhausted.

Vhat is claimed is:

1. In'a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler mounted for movement towards and from the front of the loom and also in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, a spring having one end se cured to the feeler and the other end secured to the feeler stand normally acting to impel the feeler rearwardly and itself limiting the rearward movement of the feeler, and a deflector to engage the spring between its ends and cause the spring to buckle as the feeler is moved frontwardlyon a detecting beat to impart a tendency for feeler movement longitudinally of the shuttle.

2. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler mounted for movement in a. direction longitudinally of the shuttle and held from such movement by engagement with the filling until substantial exhaustion thereof, a spring having one end connected to the feeler and the other end to the feeler stand and normally tending to straighten between its ends, and a deflector which acts upon'the spring between its ends to cause the spring to buckle and impart a tendency to feeler movement longitudinally of the shuttle when the feeler is moved frontwardly on a detecting beat.

3. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler that enters the shut tle in a direction at right angles to the lay movement and movable in a direction longitudinally of theshuttle to call for replenishment offilling, a spring securedat one end tothe feeler and at its other end to the feeler stand, and 'normally-acting'to impel the, feeler rearwardly into feeling position, andadeflector which causes a lateralbend in the spring between'itsend when the feeler is "in rearward feeling"position'fand limits its-tendency'to straighten. I

4. Ina feeler mechanism for looms','the combination of a feelermounted for movement longitudinally of the shuttle and held from such movement by engagement with the filling until substantial exhaustion thereof, a coiled spring having one end secured to the feeler and its other end to the feeler stand and normally acting to maintain the feeler in its rearward feeling position, and a deflector which is engaged by a part of the spring between its ends to form a bend in the spring when the feeler is in rearward feeling .position that the spring may tend to move the feeler longitudinally of the shuttle as the feeler moves frontwardly on a detecting beat.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a feeler mounted for movement in a direction lbngitudinally of the shuttle and held from such movement by the filling on at detecting beat until substantial exhaustion of filling, a rocking bearing at the front of the feeler stand, a spring connected at one end to the feeler and at its other end to the rocking bearing and normally tending to straighten itself to move the feeler to rearward feeling position, and a deflector which engages the spring between its ends and prevents straightening of the spring that the spring may be further deflected as the feeler moves frontwardly and tends to move the feeler longitudinally of the shuttle.

6. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler mounted for movement longitudinally of the shuttle and held from such movement by engagement with. the filling until substantial. exhaustion thereof, a spring mounted with one end secured to the feeler and the other end secured at a point frontward of the feeler that it may bend or buckle between its ends, and a deflector which bears upon the spring be tween its ends when the feeler is in rearward feeling position and prevents the spring from straightening.

7. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a feeler stand, a feeler mounted for movement longitudinally of the shuttle, a spring having one end secured to the feeler and the other end secured at a point frontward of the feeler and normally tending to straighten between these points, said spring having a lateral bend between its ends that the part of the spring between its ends may bend or buckle further uvhen.

the feeler is moved frontwardly. by a surface Within the shuttle on a detecting beat and impart a tendency in the feeler to move in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle.

8. Ina feeler mechanism for looms, the.

combination of a 'feeler stand, a feeler mounted for movement longitudinally of the shuttle, a coiled spring normally tending to straighten having one end secured tothe feeler and the other end secured" at a point frontward of the feeler and by such straightening tendency causing movement of the feeler to rearward feeler position, said spring having a ilateral bend between its ends that the point of the springbetween its ends may bend or buckle further when the feeler is movedfrontwardly by a sur--- In testimony whereof, I have. signed my name to this specification;

CARL D. BROWN. 

